Implied melody and solos?

 I think it still fits well in a lot of music. I like to play in and out of a melody on some things.

Hi Mike well I am impressed to say the least. It is very interesting that you have observed this. All the greats were melody masters and they really knew the melody well and not only in terms of playing the heads but while they are soloing they are also in touch with the melody at all times. One can weave in and out of it and use it to spring board off onto other ideas. You can use parts of the melody or just a short phrase of it to springboard onto something else and then develop that.

The BIG problem with many many young jazz musicians that are coming out of the jazz courses today (all around the world too) is that they don't understand that. Yeah they play the heads and well but as soon as the solo starts they are off playing a whole lot of rubbish which sounds like scales and practice and virtually no reference to the melody ever again! Worst instrument offenders are sax and guitar!

My son has graduated from WAAPA which is the finest jazz course here in Australia (In Perth) on drums and Jacob was saying to me the same thing. NO ONE IS PLAYING ANY MELODIES!!!!!They are all incredibly fine musicians but many have just left the melody behind. Even when doing a drum solo one of the best things you can do while you are doing a jazz drum solo is sing the melody in your mind. Then you will just naturally phrase with the melody all the time without knowing it even.

OK some of the greats right now who are playing beautifully and melodically are: On guitar, the ultimate guitarist right now in the jazz scene by far is Kurt Rosenwinkel. On sax, Joshua Redman and the hottest piano player right now is probably Brad Mehldau. Check out some of these guys and you will know what I mean. Thanks to Jacob I am in touch with all the great current players in the modern jazz scene. Jacob listens to all the older great plyers too. Miles was a melody master as well. Coltrane, etc..

BTW Jacob won the prize for the best final year student in his course and the best recital. ($2000 in cash too!) Which is pretty amazing consdiering the quality of the final students at WAAPA. He is now in the Jamie Oehlers Quartet and about to tour next year. He is only 21 and the Jamie Oehlers quartet is about as good as it gets here in Australia. ie he is in the finest modern jazz ensemble in the country! You can't go much higher than this. We are so proud. It is just incredible to hear him play in that situation. They will be going to the US too.

Thanks backwoods for your kind words. Yeah Jacob is playing so great it is ridiculous. Sinatra was a genius at melody control and he had that amazing ability to just twist the melody and delay some of the important notes too. He knew what melody was all about.

That Sinatra clip on You Tube is very nice. Check out all the solos that come after the singing too they are all just so melodic!

He is a nice clip of Kurt Rosenwinkel playing a nice tune too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUFwDOS1CAU

So Mike to answer your question melodic playing is not old fashioned at all it is just that for some reason a lot of jazz players have left it behind for some reason. But all the greats used it and that includes really modern players like Kurt Rosenwinkel etc. Even when I saw Return to Forever earlier this year and OMG that was a concert to remember every tune had fantastic MELODIES! Chick Corea knows about melodies. Chick allowed Jean Luc Ponty to do some of his own current tunes in the middle of that concert too and they were just gob smacking and guess why, the head or melody was breathtaking. The heads were so moving they brought tears to my eyes and I mean if a melody can do that it must be good! And interestingly very little technique required to play a beautiful melody too, just beautiful note choices over chord progressions. That is what it is all about. Technique (ie fast or difficult complex playing) will never create emotion, only melodies can do that!

Jeff,
 It's great to learn that guys like your son Jacob are working to become aware of the rich history of recorded music.

 Thanks for the listening suggestions.

 best regards,
mike

I love this technique. It's a staple when it comes to arrangements. Instead of the melody, one can get the gist of a piece by listening to the progressions as they will most often have pieces of the melody in them. Even if it's not accented somehow, one can still tell what a tune is as the progression tell the listener where the song is going.

Blossoms which I am working on is a perfect example. I have solid melody tracks, but I have it within a harmony track as well and the other instruments compliment the harmony tracks. (Bass, Harp, Pizz. Strings) If I uploaded the track without the melody instruments or one of the rhythm section tracks I don't think there's anyway you still wouldn't recognize it as the progression will tell you while on its journey.

And not just arrangements, but songs in general. It's akin to the chorus when talking about song structure so the listener feels a sense of familiarity. 

One might add a hint of the chorus at the tail end of a verse to tell you that where it's headed and you right along with it or play something different at the tail end of a verse or chorus before you cross the bridge.

Pop/R&B songs use this technique frequently. The bridge may be part of a verse (pre-chorus as some call it) where it's a different progression, but connects both parts. Or it could be something totally different as its own entity, but still connecting the verse and chorus. (Going to and getting back from the bridge is the fun part if treated as its own entity - for me anyway.)

LOL @ Tmidi

Although, I have admit that you're right in a way. It'a one of my biggest problems composing as generally I want to have my set length in full. Will I compromise, yes; however, I won't to the point if I feel what I put in there before ends up missing!

I don't know if you've heard my Blossoms arrangement, but you'd probably scoff @ the bridge - though I haven't uploaded it yet - (whether it be in length, it's count or that it's even there), but it does make the song different - even though I've done what is established (Verse and Chorus) differently.

I find it fascinating that there was a time when we wanted something added to a song (bridge/solo), but now, we don't think it's necessary. (From the audience pov)

I asked this question in another thread? How short are songs? Are we going to go that route again? Then again, everyone has varying attention spans.

Reps play a part in this, but the listener needs that sense of familarity at some points; therefore, must be played at the least twice. The factor there is its frequency. Solos/Bridges are a great way to release from the norm or pull you into its own norm. If the composer has treated as such, hopefully the listener will, too.

*Gives you three consecutive hooks knocking you out*

Be careful what you ask for!! Don't get up on my account!